hi there! my friend and i are driving from fll to key west. we have 2 days to explore other keys before going to key west. we would like to do kayak and snorkeling on our own. is there any beach we can go to. we are sort of doing a come what may go type adventure before heading to key west. any cheap place we could stay in other keys. cheap good food? where do locals go? any suggestion will be appreciated. thank you.

The keys do not have a lot of beaches, especially public ones. But there is a nice state park on one of the keys south of Marathon. I can't remember the name, though! (Might be Big Pine) Maybe someone else can help or you can google state parks for the keys.

For snorkeling and kayaking, John Pennekamp state park is one of the best locations in the keys. It's in Key Largo.

I only have locals experience for eating in Marathon - Cracked Conch and Island Fisheries are locals places, as is the tiki bar, and the coffee shop in the Victorian house with the big coffee cup as a sign. Marathon also has quite a few motels, mostly not glitzy (although pretty full of character) and they might provide cheap places to stay. Renting a boat is the best way to truly appreciate the keys.

South of Marathron is a wonderful State Park called Bahia Honda. http://www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda/default.cfm We picnicked there on our way to Key West and wished we had time to kayak to the Mangroves. I believe they have a few cabins.

Hi exodus -- hope you don't mind me jumping in on this thread, but I'm hoping to plan a similar trip and was wondering if Pennekamp or Bahia Honda offered kayak rentals, or if they're strictly BYO.

Also, this is for Key West, but my parents have told me a few thousand times to go to the Bahama Village area for great, cheap Bahamian food. It's not an along-the-way tip, but just a thought!

Bahia Honda has kayak rentals. http://www.floridastateparks.org/bah...Activities.cfm

Bahama Village has some great restaurants - most have opened in the past year or so. Blue Heaven (which has been there at least 10 years), Santiago's Bodega (a couple of years old and wonderful tapas), and counter food from Dennis Pharmacy has recently reopened in Bahama Village. Having said that, Bahama Village is also the most crime-ridden area of Key West. I'd NEVER advise anyone to roam around there - especially at night - without knowing precisely where they're going.

Good point Susan -- that was my parents' other recommendation -- go for LUNCH!

Ocean Pointe has nice one and two bedroom condos for a reasonable price it is located between Key Largo and Islamorada. If you have a kitchen you could eat breakfast in and make your own lunches and then splurge on dinner like at the Morada Bay or Island Fish Grill. Both very casual places on the water and great for seafood, but dishes will run you between $15 to $30.

I don't know what your taste is like but beware with cheap because there are some really dumpy places in the Keys.